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No. 6|2,928. Patented Oct. 25,1898. F. C. JOHNSON.

SHIPPING BOOK.

(Application filed Mar. 22, 1897.)

(No Model.)

Inventor 120K: C rib/1728070,

my; NORRIS PEYE RS,QO, Pno'roumm WASHINGTON, 0. cu

FREDERICK (J. JOHNSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO FRANK A. BOVEY, OF SAME PLACE.

SHIPPING-BOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Tatent No. 612,928, dated October 25, 1898.

Application filed March 22, 1897'.

To all whom it mag concern.- 1

Be it known thatLFRnDE IoKC. JoHNsoN, of the city of Minneapolis, county of I-Iennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rapid- Ohecking Shipping-Books, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to store or shipping books of the duplicate or triplicate class or type.

I-Ieretofore such books, made up of original and copy sheets, have had all of their. pages of substantially the same length, so that it was necessary to turn many pages in order to find a particular entry. Side index tabs or extensions have been employed, but in any modification from the common book so far produced the sheets have been of irregular. form and of uneven width, and in none of them has it been possible to check the contents of a number of pages without turning to them separately.

The objects of this invention are to provide a book in which the leaves are of such dimensions and arrangement that a number of the same are exposed to view, whereby a number of pages may be checked without turning the leaves, and, further, to provide a book wherein the copies or duplicate sheets are identified with the original sheets to which they belong and may be turned to readily.

The further objects are to provide a book made up of two or more groups or set-s of pages with means by which any group may be turned to conveniently and quickly, and, further, to provide a shipping-book wherein the leaves are of a regular rectangular form, and, further and particularly, to provide a shipping-book which is equally and especially adapted to the use and convenience of the store or warehouse people and the employees of railroads in the freightdepartments, accomplishing a saving of time at both places.

The invention consists generally in a book made up of sheets of different lengths, whereby margins are exposed to receive the distinguishing-marks which are applied to the goods named in the body of each sheet or bill.

I The invention further consists inparticular constructions and combinations,all as hereinhead or printed receipt 12, naming the party serial N6. 628,660. (No model.)

after described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying draw- 5 5 ings, forming part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rapidchccking shipping-book embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the corners of an original and duplicate or copy sheet enlarged.

As shown in the drawings, the book is made up of a number of original sheets 2 and duplicate or copy sheets 3, the latter being preferably of thinner paper and bearing the same printed matter as the original to which it corresponds. The book may be provided with a cover 4 or may be made up in the form of a block or tablet. The sheets making up the book are arranged in a number of like sets or groups 5, 6, 7, and so on. Each group is preferably made up of six original sheets and one or more copy-sheets for each, said sheets being of regularly-increased lengths, starting with the top and smallest sheet. The lower edges of the sheets are all in line; but the printing upon each sheet is done with respect to the upper edge of the page. Thus the top line of printing upon each page, from the second to the sixth, will be exposed above the top of the preceding page. In order that the originals may be distinguished from the copies and the latter turned to readily, the corners S of the originals are cut ofii to expose the corners of the duplicate sheets. At the top of each sheet or page is a printed line containing words or a mark 9 to identify the book with the manufacturer thereof or with the house using the same; further, a printed word Marks, and, further, a blank space 10 at the right hand, in which are written the initials or other characters with which the package or packages being shipped to a certain party are marked. Next in order from the top of the page is a line or space 11 to receive the name of the road over which the goods are to be shipped. Following this is a date-line, a part of which is printed, and beneath the latter is the bill I00 shipping the goods and the usual statement that the goods were received in good order by the railroad company. Beneath this part upon the page are blank lines 13 and 14B and others, if desired, for the name and residence, &c., of the consignee. The remaining part of the sheet is ruled and printed after the manner of ordinary bills, columns being preferably provided for the article, numbers, names and quantities of the goods, the weight, and the freight-rate. The blank: bill-space is smaller upon the first sheet than the others, in which this space is increased according to the length of the page. The different sets or groups are separated by plain sheets l5,which are preferably of a little heavier paper than the rest of the book, and which have their upper edges extending beyond the tops of the lower sheets of each set, so that in fingering the top of the book the groups or sets may be turned as though they were single leaves in an ordinary book.

In use the orders are written upon the originals with carbonpaper between the same and the duplicate sheets, the identifyingmarks of the goods being transcribed in the upper right-hand-corner spaces, so that when the book is opened a half-dozen marks are presented to View. When loading barrels or packages at the store or warehouse,itis the custom for the teamster to call off the number of each package as handled. The shippingclerk on hearing a certain mark called places his pencil on the page containing the mark and turns up the other pages, so as to check the article from among the several articles which may appear upon the same page, all being sent to the same party. The next article called may bear another mark, and the shipping-clerk turns to it as readily as to the first one, as the index or check of the page on which the article is noted is in plain View.

At the depot or dock the carbon or copy sheets are torn out of the book, which latter is returned to the consignor, while the duplicates are put into a binder or clip, which in most cases covers the upper part of each page or slip. Inasmuch, however, as the railroad checkers are only interested to know the name and the residence of the party, and the name and weights of the different articles brought to them, the covering of the index or check mark has no detrimental effect.

It is obvious that the pages may be printed in different styles or forms and that various modifications could bemade in the number of sheets used in each set of books and in the book, and I therefore do not confine my i11- vention to the particular construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The rapid checking shipping-book, comprising a series of original sheets of increasing lengths in order, a margin of each sheet being shown at the top and occupied by a suitable heading, a copy sheet or sheets for each original sheet and of the length of respective original sheets, the corners of said original sheets being cut or clipped to expose the corners of the copy-sheets beneath, and the groups of original and copy sheets being separated by division-sheets of greater length than the longest original sheets, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

